From Thomas Digges

[dateline] London June 29. 1780

[salute] Dr. Sir

Since my letter by Mr. Barnet (who was Capn. and supercargoe of a Ship of Chamonts
taken and carryd into Ireland) of the 8th. Instant, I have put in the common conveyance
two letters for you the 10th. and 23d. Instant, which I hope reachd your hands.1 A freind going to Holland promises to put this in the first Post Office abroad. { 486 } Since my last, there has been nothing whatever from America, nor any other quarter
save the account of a second brush between the French and English fleets in the Wt.
Indies. A packet is arrivd from St. Kitts the 25 May. By which there is advices that
on the 13th. May, Martinico bearing W by N twelve Leagues, Rodney descried the french
fleet turning to windward to get into Martinico; after much maneuvreing on both sides,
the rear of the English fleet got up with the van of the Enemy and engagd. They got
very roughly handled (tho not disabled so much as to be obligd to quit the Seas) before
the body of the Fleet could assist them. The van consisted of six, cheifly the Copper
Bottomd and best sailers. They have lost it is said 220 men in killd and three ships the Cornwall, Conqueror and another are very much pepperd. Rodney
however prevented their purpose of getting into Martinique, every other instance of
this brush is spoken of as being very much against the English, and stocks sunk thereon
about 3/4 per Cent. Altho there has been a packet, Government give the public no account
of it, which carrys the face of its being a worse account than we hear. The Gentry
at Loyds Coffee House rather shake their heads for fear of their Wt. India Ships,
if not Islands; but the friends to Ministry are trying every art to make it appear
an action favorable to the English fleet, that Rodney remaind master of the Seas,
that the French fleet fled back into Guadale., that they can be effectually prevented
from joining the other division in Martinique &c. &c.2

By many private letters and the accounts from Passengers in the Man of war with Dispatches
of the Surrender of Chas. Town, there are very melancholly accounts of the State of
things in the Country distant from Chas. Town, cheifly in respect to the Negroes,
where there are at least 8 or 10 for one white. These accounts say, that as soon as
they had heard of the surrender of the Town to the English all bond of them towards
their masters were broke and that the civil powers could not prevent their liberating
themselves; They collected in bodys of one two and 300 each, quitted all sorts of
work or controul whatever, took what they could carry and plunder from their masters
and were moving about the Country bending rather westward when the last accounts were
had of them. From these accounts as well as what I hear from the quarter of the Torey
Carola. Merchants in the City, it is not possible for that Country to be in a worse
situation than it now is. The last Crop of Rice and Corn had faild almost universally,
The people during the invasion of the Country in the planting months of April and
May could not attend to agriculture, a scarcity of Cattle { 487 } and hogs, and this more deplorable than all the other evils the blacks going at large
and doing much mischeif, together with the cheif of the principal Gentry being either
prisoners in the Town or out of the Country, makes the whole a very melancholly picture
indeed. Their prospects too are bad from their Western neighbours and from the still
greater Savages the back settlers of No. Carolina, whither it is said <Clinton> Cornwallis with about 1100 men had certainly gone.

The Brutes in this Country, (who I am very sorry to say seems to be a majority of
the People) seem to exult at all this, because in their opinion it leads to a sure
reduction of all the Southern Colonies, and gives, as they term it, a death blow to
rebellion. This is not the language of the common, but of the better sort of People,
and of almost every man in power or of consequence. I cannot help damming them all
together. I have been bouyd up lately with some hopes, that the ministry would look
a little further toward the Interest of the Country than the narrow circle of St.
James, and have made some profers of terms—even the parley for which could not be
disadvantageous to America and might at least have led to a cessation of hostilities
for a small time. Every one must know, and I beleive they see themselves, that terms
excluding France and Spain would not do. I am now fully persuaded that they are determind
either England or America shall be totally ruind in the trial. The last days debate
on Hartleys and Sir Geo. Savilles motion (which you will read in the papers)3 convinces me that my opinion is not ill founded. You may depend upon it, the ministry
have no sort of idea of Peace or accomodation with America, and that they mean to
send more troops and push another Campaign for the subjugation of it. It is impossible
to explain to you why they are at this juncture prepossessd with an opinion nay declare
publickly, “that in all human probability they will succeed.” Many men of worth who
thought otherways till lately, seem now, from the present account of the state of
things in America which too many are infatuated to beleive, have fallen into an opinion
that England should push the Contest further and risque much on another Campaign.
Gen. Conway (tho I do not mention him as a pattern either of judgement or honesty,
for sure I am he has been long under the sunshine of ministry) in the Ho. Commons
the day of Hartleys motion, declard that another ten, another 20,000 men, should be
sent to Ama. rather than offer terms of Independence now. If I were to write pages I could only mention such instances of folly and infatuation
as these. I wish to impress upon your mind that the intention in this quarter is still
to prosecute the war vigorously against { 488 } America, and every nerve will be straind to send men and ships to that station. They
will effect it too, if France and Spain, do not act more vigorusly at Sea and go to
work instead of making a parade. Five ships of the line on any of the Southern Coasts
of America in the months of March, Apr. or May would have effectually securd Chas.
Town, and capturd a British army. The very same mischiefs will happen in Virga. if
the Coasts are not guarded and protected by men of war this summer; and the people
finding it the woeful fact will become discontented with their allies, and naturally
suppose the intentions of them are not to risque any thing but protract the war to
the emminent ruin of that as well as of this Country.

At present there is no standing against the torrent of folly expressd in all Companys
about the certainty of subjugating America. I have seen frequently these people as
much depressd and as often in the lower appartments of the House, as they are now
elated and dancing about in the Garrets; perhaps, before reason gives them time to
think quietly in the middle story, some news may arrive that will put them all in
the cellars. If one may draw a conclusion about the fate of this Country, from the
general face of things in Europe as well as in America and the West Indies, one would
be led to suppose that in a few weeks, if not days, some news would arrive far more
depressing than the late accounts from America have been elating to the unthinking
inhabitants of it. God send some that may bring them to reason and to think that the
wisest measure they can adopt for the salvation of the Country is peace and accomodation
with America.

I am wishing to hear of the safe arrival of the Books, papers &c.4 I hope you did not put a stop to my forwarding them from any supposition that it
was troublesome to me to execute your Commissions, for I can assure you it was none,
and that next to serving my Country, that of assisting its servants abroad is my principal
wish and desire. I beg you will not spare me whenever you think I can be servicable
and that you will believe me to be with great Esteem Dr. Sir Your obet. Hum Sert.

2. For the newspaper reports of which Digges gives a digest here, see, for example, the
London Courant of 28 June. Between 9 and 20 May the fleets of Guichen and Rodney skirmished off
St. Lucia and fought two indecisive battles on the 15th and 19th. In the course of
those engagements the British losses were 68 dead and 213 wounded, with the Cornwall, Conquerer, and Boyne suffering heavy damage. The outcome of the encounter was that Rodney foiled Guichen's
effort to take St. Lucia, but failed to prevent the French fleet from returning to
its base at Martinique. One other consequence was that Guichen, worn down by the strain
of com• { 489 } mand, requested his recall as commander of the French fleet in the West Indies (Mahan, Navies in the War of Amer. Independence, p. 141–145). It should be noted, however, that since the information came from St.
Kitts the report probably dealt with only the encounter on 15 May.

3. On 27 June, David Hartley and Sir George Saville sought unsuccessfully to introduce
motions concerning the war in America. Hartley moved for permission to introduce his
long awaited “Bill for Conciliation with America” (see Thomas Digges' letter of 2 May, and note 7, above; the Descriptive List of Illustrations, vol. 10; and Hartley's letter of 17 July, below). The bill authorized the appointment of negotiators empowered to agree to
an unconditional cessation of hostilities, articles of conciliation lasting for a
period of ten years, and a suspension of acts of Parliament relating to America for
a like period. Saville's motion declared that the war in America served only to hinder
British efforts against France and Spain and facilitated the destruction of the British
empire (Parliamentary Reg., 17: 751–753). No published account of the debate over the two motions has been found.